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[Updated] Dancing With the Stars: Amy Purdy Sent to the Hospital and More Maks and Meryl Dating Speculation

Welcome to your weekly behind-the-scenes look into Grey's AnatomyDancing With the Stars. Tom Bergeron wasn't kidding when he referenced the crazy medical drama tonight. Between Danica McKellar's broken rib and Amy Purdy's sudden back injury (post-dance) that sent her to the hospital, tension was running high in the ballroom. On a lighthearted note, there's more Meryl and Maks are-they-or-aren't-they dating speculation, and, oh yeah, an elimination! So who went home? I'm revealing all below!

Amy Purdy did a sensuous rumba with partner Derek Hough, but she turned her neck the wrong way, which resulted in an unknown back injury. At press time, she was being sent nearby to the hospital, but Derek remained on set, so I'll have an interview with him coming tomorrow.

Update: Derek was going to come backstage after the show but instead decided to head straight to the hospital to be with Amy. Can't fault him for that. Amy, we're thinking about you!

As for the eliminated couple, that ended up being NeNe Leakes and Tony Dovolani. NeNe has been a blast to watch this season, but she was the logical choice to go home at this point in the competition. That leaves me thinking it's going to be Candace Cameron Bure or Danica McKellar going home next week. In past seasons, both of those contestants would most likely reach the finals, but the level of talent is just that good this year.

Update: Tony forgot to pack his bags (all contestants are asked to have their bags packed in case they have to fly to New York City to appear on Good Morning America), so he had to race home. A tearful NeNe told me backstage that she was so happy to have been on the show and couldn't have competed nearly at the level she did without Tony's guidance. When asked who she wants to see take home the Mirrorball trophy now, the candid star said she's putting her money on James Maslow.

Meanwhile, Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy kept tongues wagging with their hot and heavy salsa, and Meryl did nothing to squash rumors of a possible romance when she said, "We're connecting on a personal level too." Well, just how personal are we getting, Meryl?

Update: These two were attached at the hip backstage. We're talking holding hands, bodies in sync, smiling at one another when the other is talking. If these guys aren't dating, then either they are the best actors on the planet or General Hospital needs to cast them as their next super couple. Here's what was said when I got the two of them alone:Glamour: Maks, I mentioned this in my column the other week that we need to see you join Meryl on the ice once DWTS is over.Maks: No, you don't.Meryl: Yes, we do. Maks: No, you don't.Glamour/Meryl [in unison]: Yes, we do!Maks: Both of you don't need to see me on ice! Even my mom said, "You two need to do something on ice," and I'm like, "Ma, last time you saw me on ice, I had 10 stitches."Glamour: Yeah, but you weren't with Meryl.Meryl: Yeah, I'll protect you. Maks: All of this? [motions to his body]Meryl: All of me will protect all of you. Glamour: Meryl, you said in the rehearsal package tonight that you and Maks "are connecting on a personal level as well." Meryl: What?!Glamour: Um, yes, that's exactly what you said. I wrote it down. [Ed. Note: And listened to it twice!]Meryl: I don't remember saying that.Maks: I thought you had an amazing memory. Meryl: Well, just because I said it, doesn't mean...Glamour: Let me say it this way: Based on the amount of comments and emails I get that pertain to you guys, most viewers want to know if this insane chemistry has translated off the dance floor. So, do you want to set the record straight?Maks: Sheesh, are we going to be setting the record straight for the next four weeks?Glamour: Not unless you want to set it straight now.Maks: I've never enjoyed a season like I do now. You've never heard me say anything personal. Glamour: Well, yes and no. And I've never covered a season of DWTS more where there has been so much interest in one particular couple.Meryl: Wow, keep the mystery alive!Glamour: Whether this is an amazing friendship or something more, it has been a joy to watch you two connect. It's a lesson in human interaction, in patience, and in genuinely loving someone. Maks: I love her, I do. This is my 24/7 responsibility. This is her show, and she deserves to enjoy this. Her and Charlie deserve to enjoy this. Everybody loves [her], and I want to make sure she benefits from this experience and [loves doing] it. Glamour: Meryl, do you want to add anything to that? How you've benefitted?Meryl: Nope. [Smiles]Maks: We're all benefiting!Meryl: He's an amazing partner.

Well guys, I think I'm out of ways to ask this question! If you have any other ideas, let me know. If something is going on, I don't blame them for not wanting to say so. If relationships (platonic or otherwise) weren't a huge part of DWTS, I would never be asking about it in the first place. But they are. So, sound off below. I'll be curious to hear your thoughts.

Now, let's talk about the other Chmerkovskiy brother and his partner. When I talked to Val and Danica backstage, she had no idea how emotional Val got in his rehearsal package upon hearing the news she had fractured a rib. "I don't see the packages ahead of time. They play it when we're getting ready to dance, and that's when I'm telling myself, 'think fierce, think fierce!' So I didn't see it! That's so sweet!" Val added, "I broke your rib! Of course I'm going to be emotional!"

I think everyone has been surprised by Candace Cameron Bure's nerves prior to each week's dance. Listen, if I was doing the show I'd probably throw up, so I'm not one to talk, but what's interesting is that for someone like Candace who has been in front of the camera since she was a little kid, she's not immune to a pretty severe case of the jitters. "This week was huge for me. Mark's been awesome," Candace relayed to me backstage. "I kind of feel that we finally got over the hurdle of the nerves. I mean, I still have them, but it's night and day difference."

So, tell me if I'm wrong, but I think the biggest surprise to all of us in the press room each week is how Charlie White and Sharna Burgess keep getting short-changed in their scores. They are amazing dancers and performers, but if you listen to the judges, you'd think they were talking about someone far less talented. Something isn't adding up, and it obviously has affected Sharna, who's working her bottom off with Charlie each week. The two of them are still near the top of the leaderboard each week, but you can tell the harsh comments are beginning to wear on them. "We're certainly trying to make them happy," a diplomatic Charlie said backstage, "but sometimes it's just one of those things where your personal preferences don't line up. Having said that, moving forward, we are still going to try to get 10s from those judges, but it's not the end all be all. I'm having a blast and loving every second. I don't want not having a perfect score to detract from that in any way." Added Sharna: "With great talent comes great expectations, and that's my job. He's doing absolutely everything he can do." Clearly. I mean, Charlie was half-naked out there tonight. When I joked that Sharna would have to be next, she deadpanned, "I'm about at that point!"

Update: Also, I'll be with many of your favorite DWTS celebs and dancers this Friday night at the incredible Race to Erase MS Gala with special performances by Steven Tyler and CeeLo Green. Last year, Elton John blew the roof off the place as Jack Osbourne was honored for being such an important leader in the fight against MS. This year, Jack's former partner, Cheryl Burke, will be there to support a cause very near and dear to her. "The night is consistently one of the most fun nights of the year and now I have an extra special reason because of Jack. It's so important to support MS research and finding a cure." I'll be live tweeting the event, and you can visit their website here to donate, and purchase a super chic t-shirt!

What did you guys think about tonight's episode? I'm eagerly awaiting your thoughts on Maks and Meryl, Charlie and Sharna, and who you think will be the next to go.

*This post has been updated.

Photos: Adam Taylor/ABC; Jessica Radloff

Jessica RadloffWest Coast entertainment writer. Always trying to make each interview more fun than the last. Obsessed with the St. Louis Cardinals, Scott Speedman, Sprinkles cupcakes--and apparently the letter S.